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‘Salute to The Kid’: Lakers’ LeBron James Gives a Shoutout to One of His All-Time Heroes

Published 02/13/2021, 8:57 PM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

LeBron James is “the chosen one,” and there’s no doubting that. The way he is marching ahead in the 18th year of his career in that Lakers’ uniform makes him worth every praise.

Being a bonafide star, LeBron is an inspiration to millions, and his fans crave for a single autograph from the NBA legend.

However, it’s not that the heroes do not have their heroes. LeBron James is no exception, with him idolizing MLB’s Ken Griffey Jr. King James has always been very vocal about his admiration for the Baseball legend, and now, he has taken it to another level.

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LeBron James’ brand new signed shoes

The Akron Hammer wore Ken Griffey Jr. inspired LeBron 15 Nike Sneakers to the Lakers’ latest game against the Grizzlies. His teal-and-black signed shoes were an extension to Griffey’s legendary Air Griffey Max 1 model, originally released by Nike in 1996. These new shoes say, “The Man In The Arena. The Kid JR 24 (The Kid From Akron) 23”. Take a look at what LeBron himself had to say about them – 

When the L-Train got his first Nike deal worth $90 million in May 2003, people were in absolute disbelief. Nike’s visionary marketers saw in LeBron what other myopic businesses and critics couldn’t.

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His Zoom LeBron series boomed with Bron’s on-court success with the Cavaliers, and there was no turning back. Today, he is in a position to pay tribute to his heroes by highlighting their greatness in front of a worldwide audience.

Read AlsoLeBron James NBA All-Star Records and Stats

Why is Bron so inspired by the MLB legend?

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Sir Ken Griffey Jr. had a glorious MLB career that spanned 22 years, something LeBron James may also achieve. Plus, the Hall of Famer outfielder, who played for the Seattle Mariners among a few other teams, met with Bron when he was just 18.

At that point, The Kid Jr. was playing with the Cincinnati Reds, and Bron was there to throw the first pitch before Reds vs Indians at Cleveland. 

Even before the launch of the Air Griffey Max 1, Nike had earlier launched LeBron 9, inspired by the same legendary figure. Today, Sir Ken is taking a new job as the senior advisor to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. The MLB fans around the world expect that his inclusion into the business side of the game will lift Baseball back and help the game flourish. 

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All these things mark immortal greatness, something a person like LeBron would always endorse. So are you excited to grab these sneakers?

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Written by:

Sourabh Singh

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Sourabh Singh is an NBA sports analyst for EssentiallySports, who has been working with the site since May 2020. Prior to this, he functioned as Managing Editor at WittyFeed, followed by a stint at Decathlon. The Sports Management graduate leads an active lifestyle, veering to the mountains for off-trail adventures.
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